The Voice of the Voiceless

UBACUDA - quiet on the fire destruction of our farms. 21/04/2016

Mysterious, Criminal negligence, and Scandalous fires did spread across our farmlands in the months of January and February 2016 in the Upper Balong areas, made worse by a prolonged dry season, worsened by a growing palm oil industry in the Upper Balong areas that provides incentives for farmers to clear their land and plant the lucrative crop.

The issue of bushfires in the Upper Balong areas should have be of great concern and panic to our Cultural and Development Association (UBACUDA), but they have failed to acknowledged the pains of the fire victims and the multiplier effect of the devastating fires. As indigenous farmers we have being expecting UBACUDA to led a team to visit the extent of the damages, that has being described the “greatest tragedy”, considering the huge farmlands that have been utterly destroyed by the fires.

The reality is that more Upper Balong farms are under further threats in the coming years from fires. Historically there has been a 'them and us' - Spite, Jealousy, and Self-interest has being the order of the day of this Association. Affected local farmers, who spoke to Betockvoices, said “only God knows” how they and their families are going to survive with their destroyed farms – their only source of livelihood in ruins.

For years, external elites claimed that they are bringing development to the villages, providing employment, and better lives for their brothers and sisters - the local reality differs somehow from their calms.

Photo - Illegal logging found in Betock Village 23/03/2016

The price you pay when you have no voice in the village!

When farmers and local communities fight back this land grab by industrial oil palm plantations, they often face repression and intimidation, institutions of Government siding with the palm oil corporations and undermining community land rights, suffering human rights violations.

He wanted to plant palms...........................Photos

Cut and Burn - Done by Joseph Ebit Photos 3/2016

Photos by Betockvoices 23/03/2016 - The fire destruction of our farm in Betock Village

Photo - Few cocoa phants saved from the fire 23/03/2016

Photo - Save the timber not the farms, Betock Village 23/04/2016Photos - who noticed the fire? Why the cover up? Who are the protecting?

Our voiceless collection 2015

Email us at - betockvoices@gmail.com We should protect the local farmer and our rain forests